Gwili Railway receives a double shunter boost
THE Ford Motor Company has donated a Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 diesel shunter from its now-closed factory at Bridgend.
The site closed on September 25, 2020, and the 1973-built shunter was due to be cut up on site.
Built as GECT 5391, the chassis was rebuilt in 2002 by the Yorkshire Engine Company, with the rebuild completed by RMS Locotec before the shunter was renumbered LWO 2108.
Following discussions with the factory site manager and a Ford representative on-site, it was suggested that it could be donated to the heritage sector.
Despite a somewhat recent overhaul, it is estimated that the shunter has not operated for a decade. An inspection carried out after its arrival at Bronwydd Arms has confirmed it to be intact, with hopes for a speedy return to service.
The Diesel Electric Shunter Company also moved its BR Class 08 No. 08888 (D4118) from the Avon Valley Railway to the Gwili on October 31, fresh from a B exam and removal of EWS-fitted remote control equipment.
The 1962 Horwich-built locomotive is to cover for the Gwili’s resident Class 03, D2178, which is being withdrawn for mechanical work, with a minimum six-month deployment to the Carmarthenshire line.
Work to D2178 will include completion of repairs to the cylinder heads, along with some routine maintenance and cosmetic work.
Meanwhile, the DESC’s second locomotive, No. 08359, has continued in regular use at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, where it ran with the restored clay hood wagons over the
October 8/9 end-of-season gala. On October 22, director Mark Stuchbury also announced that officials of the Cornish line “wish to continue hosting No. 08359 on a rolling 12-month basis.”
No. 08359 is believed to be the oldest-surviving BR locomotive diesel electric built by Crewe, where it was completed on March 28, 1958, and outshopped as D3429.
The group is now searching for a third ‘Gronk’ to purchase to fill other opportunities and enquiries it receives.